Our Threatened Coast

Despite the ecological value of the Salish Sea, many of the habitats that provide these benefits are under significant stress. This situation will only be exacerbated by the combined effect that proposed energy and shipping projects have, including oil spills. These proposals are not being examined from the perspective of their cumulative impacts, and how they affect our economies, cultures, and values of the Salish Sea.

As governments and citizens across the Salish Sea line-up to recommend the National Energy Board reject Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain proposal, we urgently need to start a broader conversation about the true value of this unique ecosystem.

Unlike federal risk and environmental assessments, this report identifies the need for cumulative effect assessments of proposed coastal energy and shipping projects; it also identifies the failings of existing assessments concerning increased vessel traffic and oil spill risk. The report concludes that purported economic benefits of fossil fuel export projects, such as Trans Mountain, are insignificant when weighed against a more holistic examination of the Salish Sea’s value.